The British Museum and Samsung have renewed their partnership and expanded the Virtual Visits programme, allowing 35,000 school children to experience the museum.
The Samsung Digital Discovery Centre (SDDC) has undergone a significant upgrade, and has been reopened this week. The Virtual Visits programme expansion is part of the new SDDC, and schools that are unable to physically visit the museum can experience the collection and staff expertise through a learning session broadcast into their classroom.
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Virtual Visits has undergone a successful series of pilots, and 35,000 places have now been confirmed over the next five years for pupils to take part. Schools from across the UK are invited to sign up for sessions with no charge.
The programme has also been developed with the curriculum in mind, and is designed with the realities of classroom technology at its core. Session topics include:
- Prehistoric Britain
- Roman Britain
- Ancient Egypt (in development)
- Ancient Greece (in development)
Each session is tailored to a class’ needs and include direct interaction between pupils and British Museum staff, as well as digital assets such as 3D digital objects.
The advances in digital technology have enhanced the learning opportunities within – and now outside – the museum.
– Hartwig Fischer, British Museum
Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, said: “Pupils from Andover to Aberdeen and Brecon to Belfast can now experience some of the museum’s incredible treasures from their own classroom, potentially sparking a lifelong curiosity in the history of the world.
“The advances in digital technology have enhanced the learning opportunities within – and now outside – the museum, and the SDDC has been at the very forefront of our efforts to share the collection more widely.”
More information about the SDDC is available at https://www.britishmuseum.org/learning/samsung_centre.aspx
